Pray and Act for Syria

As the Obama Administration and Congress responds to use of chemical
weapons by the Assad regime in Syria, you can take action by calling on
our leaders to avoid any military response now. Urge the U.S. to use all
diplomatic and humanitarian means at our disposal for a resolution to this crisis.

(Photo: A tent serves as a makeshift school for
Syrian children living in a camp for displaced persons in Qatma, Syria.)

The administration released its assessment of the Syrian
regime’s harrowing use of chemical weapons this week- attacks
that killed close to 1,500 civilians including children. Although the case has become clearer that
chemical weapons were used by the Assad regime, it is not clear that a U.S. led
military strike on Syria is justified in response to these actions. We grieve this loss of life and the
indiscriminate killing of civilians and we are called to speak out against
these attacks.

As
people of faith we call on our leaders to avoid any military intervention now. We call on them to use all diplomatic and humanitarian means at our
disposal for a resolution to this crisis.

The global community has unequivocally condemned the use of
chemical weapons and indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians. The regime’s use of these weapons is a clear violation
of international law, and those responsible should be brought to justice. A U.S. military response to these actions,
however, would risk further enflaming the violence in the country and
destabilizing the region. Limited strikes rarely remain so.

We grieve for the more than 4 million people who
have been displaced from their homes within Syria. We grieve for the 1.7 million who have been
forced to seek refuge in nearby countries.
The United Church of Christ and other faith and humanitarian communities
are committed to increasing
humanitarian aid to Syria to help. We also grieve over the loss of 1,500
lives to chemical weapons and the more 100,000 lives which have been lost
throughout the war in Syria.

Amidst this grief, we call on our leaders to exercise
moral courage and fully exhaust all diplomatic and humanitarian solutions. A
military solution would eliminate the potential for what is needed most- a
politically negotiated settlement led by the U.N. with U.S. support that seeks
to contain the violence, restore stability in the
region, provide humanitarian assistance, and encourage the building of an
inclusive society in Syria that protects the rights of all its citizens.